Why is it that when you’re a kid and Christmas only means presents, pretty lights, and wrapping paper does Christmas seem to be so BIG? The movies, songs, cookie baking, decorations, school concerts, plays, and those fun christmas sweaters… (Ok, so maybe that’s a girl thing.)
I remember the build up and the excitement . Yet now that my focus is on the TRUE meaning of Christmas, the ‘holiday season’ is a blur until about December 23rd. Then it suddenly BLAZES into reality and I’m hit with the fact I haven’t bought any gifts.
It’s obvious to any American - Christmas has become too commercialized.
A few years ago the ads were pushing this joyous holiday notion:
”This is what I want – don’t forget to buy it or I won’t be happy with you.”
It was on the radio, TV, and even on billboards. Especially the jewlerly & new car ads. They’re still overwhelming!
Is it really true that people cannot have a good Christmas experience without someone dumping hundreds of dollars on a gift for them? Am I the only one who feels this way? Maybe that’s why each year I petition my family to give up giving gifts and just enjoy being with each other. Is it laziness or refocusing on the true meaning of Christmas?
Retailers complain that too many people are NOT shopping, which hurts the economy. Yet I hear people talking about buying $250 iPods, Wii systems, and PS3’s, computers, Plazma TV’s, etc… And I really think we’ve lost the meaning of Christmas.
Not just that it’s a holiday meant to celebrate the best gift ever given to man-kind, God’s son Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary. It’s not just that which has been lost. Today it appears more people are focused on what they want. Which means gift giving has become “how to make other people happy without going into too much debt”, rather than giving something that says, “Hey, I’m glad God blessed me with you as a friend.”
Someone recently asked me why I give gifts at Christmas. “To show God how much I appreciate the gift of my friends & family I can pray and thank Him, and treat them well. But to show them how much I appreciate the gift of their friendship and love, I buy them something to represent it. I don’t need to buy it, but I choose to give them something meaningful.”
With some of my friends, we’ve agreed to not buy each other gifts. It ended up feeling like we should just trade $20 and call it even. Because that’s the gift-giving game: making sure you don’t spend too much, for they might feel badly that they didn’t spend enough on YOU. One of my friends & I came up with the idea to adopt a needy kid for Christmas and buy toys for them instead of getting something for each other. Another friend and I just give each other cards. Dollar limits with a few other friends and always with my family also reduces the stress. It makes me think harder about what I’m going to purchase instead of just ‘throwing money at them’.
This year I’m so caught up with work and the changes in my life it’s been hard to even focus on these wonderful people and what should be bought to show them how much they are appreciated.
That’s when I really wish I could go back to being like a kid. When the joy of Christmas seemed to stretch forever and a little wooden clothespin tree ornament decorated like an Orioles player was treasured by the grandparent who received it. Because he knew it was given with a lot of thought, all of my love and not one penny of my own money.
Do you think it will ever be like that again?
Neither do I.
Filed under: Christianity, Christmas, Life, Religion | Tagged: buying, Christmas, debt, gift giving, gifts, Holiday, spending
I suppose this is part of the joy of having children, because then you get to revisit all that joy through them. We do talk about the over-commercialization of Christmas quite a bit at our house.